Ni-La and Ni-La-K catalysts supported on cordierite were prepared for steam reforming of kerosene to produce hydrogen. All these catalysts were tested in a fixed-bed reactor under different conditions. The catalysts obtained under different calcination temperatures and different reaction temperatures were characterized by TG-DTG and XRD techniques respectively. The influence of NiO and La2O3 contents on the activity of catalysts for steam reforming of kerosene to produce hydrogen was also investigated in our experiments. The experimental results indicate that the calcination temperature has much more influence on catalyst activity. The catalyst supported the promoter 5 wt% K2O, 25 wt% NiO and 10 wt% La2O3, is the optimal catalyst under 773 K of reaction temperature and 2300 h(-1) of space velocity. Composition of Ni is highly dispersed on the catalyst surface. And through the duration test, the catalyst activity and stability are very satisfactory at 873 K of the reaction temperature. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.